Proper dryer vent installation is crucial to safety and efficiency for your clothes dryer. Though kits are sold for indoor dryer vent, they are not safe and they do not provide adequate venting. Venting you clothes dryer to the outside is not an option; it is a requirement!
Improper dryer vent installation or use of inferior materials can result in damage to your home. Clothes dryers that are not vented create a huge mess of lint and excess moisture in the air you breathe. Worse yet, the hot air in the dryer may contain gas by-products like carbon monoxide that can be extremely dangerous.
Dryer vent installation is not too difficult as long as you have the proper tools and the ability to measure accurately. You will need a power drill, a jig saw or hole saw, tape measure, caulking gun and basic hand tools. The materials required include 4 inch rigid sheet metal duct, a dryer vent kit and foil tape (not duct tape).
Choose the location for the dryer vent and drill a hole through the wall from the inside. Insert a coat hanger bent at 90-degrees and spin it around to be sure you don't hit anything inside the wall. Carefully enlarge the hole and look to see if there are any electrical wires that could be damaged in the process.
Now, drill a hole to the outside then check outside to see if the location is appropriate for a dryer vent; away from shrubbery or anything else that may be in the way. From the outside, use a 4-inch hole saw to cut the hole for the dryer vent pipe.
Use rust resistant wood screws to attach the dryer vent hood to the side of the house. The vent hood generally comes with a piece of vent pipe about a foot long which is already attached.
The best dryer vent system is straight; it doesn't contain elbows. If this is the case, attach a piece of 4-inch dryer duct to the existing piece already attached to the hood with large hose clamps and seal the joints with foil tape. Do not use sheet metal screws as they will protrude into the pipe where they will catch and trap lint or create dryer exhaust leaks. Also, do not substitute duct tape for foil tape as duct tape is combustible.
It might be necessary to use 90-degree elbows to create your dryer duct. Keep in mind that short and straight are the best; a dryer duct should not be more than 25 feet long; reduce this by 5 feet for each 90-degree bend and 2.5 feet for each 45-degree bend.
D. Benson of Dryer Vent Wizard is a dryer vent installation expert who provides all dryer exhaust services. Though homeowners can install their own, professional dryer vent installation is recommended to insure your clothes dryer has adequate air flow for safety and efficiency. Visit http://dryerventinstallation.blogspot.com/
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